Looking back, a lot of things had changed since Jack had first woken up in the clearing. Not that a lot of time had passed. He didn’t keep an exact track, but it couldn’t have been more than a few weeks. Yet look at all that had happened. He made a friend of the village outcast and through her met others in Helmrest who didn’t hate him outright just for the, admittedly stupid, name he had chosen.

Through them, he managed to overthrow a tyrannical, if small time, ruler. He befriended a force of the wild and she allowed him to meet her elder. A creature of myth. It was her blessing that allowed him to save Helmrest from a monster attack.

He befriended other outcasts like himself, whether they had been cast out for breaking their oaths, for crossing an uncrossable boundary or simply for wandering out into the wild. And when trouble came, it was them who helped him go out into the world. Helped him fight monsters and brave dungeons, all so he could save the village which adopted him.

His friends now stood at his back, as they watched Maleh and Nadun falter before another of his friends. Elia. And she had grown.

“Village Head Viridi.” Maleh finally got out. “I thank you for the welcome, on behalf of myself and those under my command.”

“Please, Commander Maleh. Call me Elia”. She smiled. “After all, you are here as friends, are you not?”

The man’s eyes sharpened, but he did not contradict her.

“We are. And we hope this to be the start of a prosperous partnership between The Barony and Helmrest.”

“Partnership. I appreciate the choice of words. Yes, it may very well come to that. But please, forgive my manners. You are all weary from the road, I’m sure. My attendants will lead you to refreshments, after which we may all convene to discuss the future relationship between Helmrest and The Barony. Now, please excuse me while I greet the local heroes.” She said, smiling at them.

“Heroes. Yes, you may very well call them that.” Maleh laughed and Nadun smiled. “To brave a dungeon after just starting out as adventurers… But before that, Village Head Elia. May I have a few private words?”

Elia hesitated a second, but nodded. She moved forward as Maleh did the same, and the remainder of their conversation was spoken in silence.

“Wonder what he wants to talk about.” Jack mused.

“Probably why Helmrest looks so much more developed than The Barony’s past sources described it as.” A voice spoke from his side.

Jack didn’t have the time to look surprised or turn around before Lola tacked him with a hug.

“Lola!” he gasped, while she hung around his neck. “How… Why did you sneak up like that?”

“I thought it would funny.” She shrugged, smiling. “I’m so happy to see you all. I got the message that you got out of the dungeon in one piece, but that spell didn’t relay much more information than the basics.”

“Yeah, I know. But we’re alright. The dungeon was pretty tough, but we managed to get out of it alive.”

“Hah. It was a breeze.” Ava chimed in. “Don’t know why everyone got so worked up about it.”

Lola fixed the Satyr with a glare before relaxing her face.

“Yes, well. That’s what friends do. Worry.”

“We are quite alright, Lola.” Brom gravelled. “Not at first, but we are now. And we have obtained a prize for our efforts.”

“Big prize.” Mrk nodded.

“I heard. I guess that’s why this army came after you, right? Offering help in exchange for the prize? Can’t say it would be a bad trade.” She said, frowning slightly. “Not with Amenor sending an entire host after us.”

“…maybe. How is everyone holding up? Are the villagers scared?”

“A little. Mostly worried. But we have done quite a lot to prepare and… and it looks like I’ll have to tell you later, since here comes Elia.”

Turning his head, Jack saw the woman striding towards them, as Maleh and his soldiers were streaming through one of the open gates, flanked on either side by the soldiers of Helmrest.

When Elia reached them, she raised one finger to her lips, signaling silence. Her smile plastered on her face never faltered. Only when the last soldier had moved through the gates did she move again.

“Gods be good!” she quietly shrieked, droping down on the grass. “I thought I was going to vomit. Or cry. Or both! Half of the time I was too focused on keeping on this façade to even listen properly. How did it look? Was it good?”

“You were perfect, Elia.” Lola encouraged her.

“Uhm, you were pretty royal, I guess… if that’s the right term.” Jack said.

“Jack! Everyone!” she exclaimed. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t greet you all properly until now. I had to play the proper Village Head, so that The Barony wouldn’t be inclined to just walk all over us. Sorry about that. How are you?! I can’t wait to hear everything about what you’ve done. …which will have to wait, since I have to go back and charm them. But still. Everything! Are- are you good? Do you need anything?”

It was amusing to see Elia being Elia again, as the torrent of words hit them all. Amusing, but also a little worrying. Yes, she worrying about them was heartwarming, but she looked a ragged. There were bags under her eyes and her lips were chapped. Jack though she also looked thinner then when he left.

“We’re are all alright, miss Elia.” Brom said.

“Could use some food.” Ava chirped.

“Which we are able to procure by ourselves.” The dwarf insisted. “Do not worry about us. We understand it is a difficult time.”

“Yeah, Elia. Go woo Maleh and Nadum. We can talk later.”

Nodding, the woman stood up and promised them she’ll see them all later. With that, she straightened her spine and walked after The Barony’s party.

“Now.” Lola started. “I’m guessing you do want something to eat?”

“We do, yes.” Moran answered, before Ava could put her foot in her mouth again. “And I think we’d all appreciate some news. What happened to Helmrest?”

Lola turned to stare at the sentry tower and the fortified wooden gates.

“We got busy.” She smiled.

***

Lola guided them to a house, next to the shop she worked in. It was now fully her shop, she told them, since Elia had been so busy lately that she had to take on every order that Elia used to work on. It as hard, but rewarding as well, seeming as how her |Herbalist| Class now sat at Level 5.

The house itself looked to Jack like the ‘hospital’ he stayed in, while Brom and himself recuperated, but he couldn’t be sure. Even so, they all sat around a table, regaling Lola with their share of adventured, while they enjoyed some food and fruit juice. Once they were done, it was Lola’s time to share.

And she had a lot to share.

“After you all left, Elia had a public meeting with the villagers. We had to take into account the possibility that none of you may come back. Or come back empty handed. …sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Jack chided. “It could have happened. It nearly did.”

“I know. Well, during that meeting, everyone in Helmrest came to a conclusion, guided by Elia. We had to strengthen the village. If you came back with a treasure, we could use that to sell and use the coin to fund other businesses. But if no coin came, at least we would have some defenses set up. Amenor is a real threat and we couldn’t afford to take it lightly.”

“Oh, so you used the coins we got from the ogre to put up walls and such?”

“Not exactly.” Lola smiled. “Elia used up nearly every coin to hire those guards. She hired some for more permanent duty, but a few of them are Level 15 or so. Those are only hired for a couple of months, until the Amenor threat passes.”

“Level 15… Elia’s not pulling her punches.” Jack said.

“Nope. But… that was when we thought Amenor would only be sending a few hundred our way. As we stand now…”

“Tell us more about the defenses.” Brom said, in a clear attempt of steering her away from sad subjects.

“That was the really beautiful part. Everyone came together. We didn’t have any coin left to buy construction materials or hire workers, so everyone chiped in. We had to take wood and stone from the forest. I hope that’s alright with you, Jack.”

“What? Oh, yeah, of course. It’s for a good cause.”

“Great.” She smiled. “We knew we had little time to work with, so we built with function over aesthetics in mind. Everything was designed to be solid and quick to build. That’s why we don’t have a true wall around the village, with only the exits blocked. We got a couple of sentry towers up too. We were planning on building a moat, in the direction we expect Amenor’s forces to be coming from, but then we got your message. No time left.”

She shrugged as she said that last bit, as if to say ‘we did everything we could’.

“And Helmrest soldiers?” Mrk asked.

“Oh, I forgot. Helmrest’s ‘Village Watch’. That was assembled almost at the same time as the construction was done. We all saw those professional soldiers streaming into the village a day or two after you left. Now, some of the younger villagers want to fight Amenor themselves. Elia said she couldn’t stop them, but she could at least give them a fighting chance. So, she armed them as best as she could and had them trained by the proper soldiers. I don’t think they’d stand a chance against a cavalry charge, but you know… safety in numbers.”

That was an almost inhuman effort, in such a short amount of time. True, Helmrest didn’t magically become a fortress, but still.

“Elia really had been busy while we were away.” Jack said. “I hope she’s alright.”

“I hope so too.” Lola confessed. “She worries me. I don’t think she slept more than a few hours a night after you left. Each waking moment she filled either with supervising the defensive construction or supervising the Watch training. Then she’s either out in the village, trying to raise morale or in talks with outside forces, trying to gather support. She had to buy a communication artifact for that and she did it out of her own pocket. What time she has left, she spends it brewing. We have a batch of emergency potions to use among us. Not high grade, since Elia isn’t that high Level in her |Potioner| Class, but combined with what we’ve bought, it should be enough. I hope.”

“Remind me to buy her an appreciation gift after this is all done with.” Jack said, though internally he was touched by all the effort is friend had put in.

“Or hit Elia in head.” Mrk said.

When everybody turned to him, he clarified.

“So Elia sleeps. Not want sleep, hit in head, then sleep. But gently.”

That must be the ratling sleeping aid.

“She has our thanks, for everything she has done.” Brom said, to continue the conversation.

“She has.” Jack said. “But are you alright, Lola? You mentioned that you handle all herbalist business yourself now. I know you’re… not that high level, so it must be taxing. Which probably explains why you seem so exhausted. We don’t have to ask Mrk to hit you ‘in the head’ too, don’t we?”

“Maybe after Amenor leaves.” The girl laughed. “Yes, I am a little tired. But is all for a good cause. You know those mushrooms derived spheres I gave you? The ones you used against the ogre?”

Ava burst out laughing, making Moran jerk.

“How could we not? Those things are capable of melting an ogre’s face off.”

“I’m happy you liked them. Whenever I had free time, I worked on them. At first, I tried experimenting. Trying to augment their power or discover new effects. But… like Jack said, I’m a little too low level for that. Or I simply had too little time and equipment. But what I could do was make more of them. And that is what I did.”

The grin she gave them was the most predatory one Jack had ever seen on her face. He wasn’t even aware Lola could make such an expression.

“If Amenor attacks, this should prove to be a worthy surprise.” She lightly said.

“Uhm, Lola, just how many more did you make?”

“Enough for a couple of village wide volleys. Or enough to last for an entire battle, if used sparingly. Oh, I forgot. We had to send villagers out in the forest to retrieve mushrooms. From your clearing too. They mentioned that they left a few behind, but I think we pretty much cleared the entire forest of them. I hope that’s alright as well.”

Jack wanted to assure her that he didn’t mind and that the damn things spawned like crazy, but didn’t get the chance, since Ava almost jumped out of her chair with an idea.

“Wait. Can you incorporate an arrow into them? I don’t mean like tying them to an arrow with string, we already did that. It throws off my aim. I mean like… uh…”

“I could probably build the sphere around the shaft. And have it be more elongated. Would that work?”

As a response, Ava just let out a high-pitched sound, while jumping in place.

“Yes! I am going to set fire to so many things. Thank you, Lola! If I wasn’t already taken, I’d have asked for your hand in marriage.” She beamed.

Jack’s eyes widened, as Moran choked on the water he had been drinking, while Brom and Mrk instantly turned and stared.

“What?” the Satyr asked, noticing all the attention.

“Uhm… you’re ‘taken’?” Jack asked. “It’s not a problem, it’s just not something that came up until now. So, you were married back home or-“

“No, no!” Ava cut him off. “I, uh… it was a joke, dummy! Sheesh. You guys take everything so seriously.”

That was not really what Jack would call an ‘Ava-type’ joke, since it didn’t come at the expense of anyone, but he was stopped from thinking more about this by Elia crashing into the room. And crash she did. She must have opened the door to their room harder than Brom knocked down doors.

Without saying a word, she entered, found a seat and crashed again. Only after she gulped down three cups of water did she speak.

“I couldn’t drink water. I could only drink wine. But I didn’t want to get tipsy, so I only had a few sips for all these hours. Ouch! My back is killing me. I had to sit up perfectly straight with my legs in a really uncomfortable position. …I think I might have hurt my cheeks from all that smiling?”

“Uhm… Elia? Why are you doing all… this? Jack asked.

“Because I don’t have any Skills.” The woman dejectedly said.

“Uh. What?”

“It’s her Class.” Lola answered in her stead. “Or more likely, her lack of a Class. She didn’t gain the |Village Head| Class yet and without it…”

“Without it I don’t have any negotiation Skills. Or Charm Skills.” Elia confessed. “So, I talked to every Village Head, Village Chief, Mayor and so on I could find that would listen to me. Asked them all about how I should conduct myself. I mostly got conflicting answers, but the advice in common I took to heart.”

She looked even more tired than she did before.

“These talks… I knew they would decide Helmrest’s fate. So, I did what I could to prepare.”

“Don’t worry Elia. I know it will all work out in the end.” Jack said, encouragingly. “You’ll manage to get a good deal, I know it.”

“Oh, I already did.”

Moran didn’t choke this time, but everyone flinched a little at hearing that.

“You did?”

“I did.” Elia nodded. “Or at least a preliminary deal. I think it’s pretty good.”

She allowed herself a smile then, one of the first Jack had recently seen in his normally positive friend.

“The Barony wanted to incorporate Helmrest from the start. And they wanted the helm you found, in exchange for their protection. Still, their offer was better than Amenor’s. Apparently, The Barony treats its towns and villages a lot better than usual kingdoms. They offered a starting pack consisting of supplies, coin and tradesmen, to help Helmrest start its own businesses. And their trade deal was pretty advantageous…”

“…but?” Jack asked.

“I still said no.” Elia smiled. “I said it before and I say it again. I truly believe in Helmrest’s independence. If in the end, we will have to be incorporated into a kingdom… then I will make my peace with it. And The Barony truly made a compelling offer. But not yet.”

A low whistle came from Ava’s side of the table.

“Have to say, miss Elia, you’ve got some fire in you.”

“Why thank you.” She laughed.

“How did you manage to convince the soldiers?” Brom asked.

“Well, I explained to them that their offer was nice, but so far it consisted of only words. Amenor’s army is still on route. If they can prove they can secure Helmrest’s protection, but chasing Amenor’s troops away, then I’ll be open to further negotiation. The Helm of Vatrir still remains in our possession, for the time being. I imagine it will be a crucial part of the negotiation. I… don’t think I’ll be able to keep it, Brom. I’m sorry.

“I understand.” The dwarf heavily said.

“So.” Jack started. “What now?”

“Commander Maleh had Mage Nadun scry the enemy’s position. They had anti-scrying magical effects in place, but what he managed to find out confirmed what we already knew. Their forces will reach Helmrest tomorrow morning.”

“Then this is it. The night before the battle.”

“Feels more dangerous than dungeon.” Mrk quietly said.

“I suspect it will be.” Brom agreed.

“Cheer up, guys.” Lola said. “I suspect Amenor doesn’t want to pick a fight with The Barony. They’ll probably just go away.”

“I believe that is likely as well.” Elia chimed in. “From what I’ve found, The Barony’s is Amenor’s prime supplier. One of the only kingdoms willing to trade with them on a large scale. I don’t think they will endanger that relationship just to conquer Helmrest. No matter how hard Jack and Brom kicked their knight’s behind.”

They shared a laugh at that. Yet, the next second Elia stood up and watched them seriously.

“Whatever happens, tomorrow is a big day. I know you are too full of energy to sleep right away, but you do need your rest.” She said, before looking as if she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, one more thing. You are now all heroes of Helmrest. And I suspect your fame will spread outside our village as well. Therefore, in the interest of Helmrest’s pride and avoiding unlawful adventuring, I think It’d be a good idea to choose a team name. Now, I wish you all a good night!”

She left after that, with Lola in tow, after the young woman said her farewells. The five found that the building they were in had enough beds for all off them, so that was going to be where they slept for the night, though Jack secretly wished to be back in his clearing.

“Kind of wish we had separate rooms.” Moran wistfully said, after seeing the beds.

“Already got bored of our presence?” Jack laughed.

“Nothing wrong with a little intimacy.” Ava grinned.

“Tonight is our final night before the battle.” Brom gravelly said.

“Brom really thinks there will be battle?” Mrk asked.

“I do not know. But I do not believe Amenor will back down easily. There is always a risk of battle.”

“Right.” Ava said, and she was curiously not smiling.

She looked at Moran and at each of them in turn.

“Look, guys, just in case something… bad happens tomorrow, I think I should tell you all what my full story is.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing.” Brom sighed, but nodded to her to continue.

They all sat down as Ava regaled them with her tale. She told them of her youth and her parents. Of her village and her… crush, though she said that part while studiously looking straight down. Then, she told them of her trial. Of her stealing the bow and of her hubris. How the Faun came to her and what remained of that encounter. Of the monster attack. Of her parents’ deaths. And of her banishment. And how it all tied in to both her Class and how she set out looking for the Refuge.

After she was done, every one of them stood there in shock. Moran looked to be the calmest of the bunch, but even he seemed rattled.

“Fuck.” Jack finally said.

“Yeah.” Ava laughed. “That’s an apt summation of my life so far.”

“Mrk is sorry for Ava. I think village rule is stupid, not Ava.”

“I agree.” Brom fervently said. “That trial… that is not a correct method of testing an individual.”

“It was supposed to be a test of character.... can’t be judged by your choice, if you already know the outcomes ahead of time.” Ava added.

“Even so!” The dwarf pushed on. “Even so, that is still not a fair test. And the consequences… no, Ava. You should not blame yourself.”

“Yeah. I mean, I can see how you would think yourself guilty, but everyone from the Faun to the satyr leader seems more guilty to me than you could possible be.” Jack said.

Ava nodded slowly and turned to Moran.

“You know what I think.” He said, before amending his statement. “I mean, you can probably guess what I think. It’s bullshit. It wasn’t your fault. Not even partly.”

She nodded and mouthed a ‘thank you’, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Jack hurried to change the painful subject.

“So that was why you were glowing and looking like you had bigger horns when you were using your special ‘trick’. You were channeling the Faun guy.”

“I mean… I think I was.” Ava said. “I only thought I was using the Crescent Bow during those moments, but maybe the bow’s tied in to the Faun.”

“You also displayed a new Skill. A temporary one, if I recall correctly.” Brom added.

“Oh yeah.” She smiled. “|Lunar Barrage|. But it was only a temporary Skill. Kind of wish I got that for good, you know?”

“Who knows.” Jack wondered. “Maybe after your |Outcast| Class goes away for good, you’ll be able to get it as a permanent Skill. I’d really like that, considering it saved our hides down there.”

“That’ll be the day.” She laughed.

She looked a little relieved after telling them that. As if she still hadn’t been sure if they wouldn’t have judged her for her past actions. Jack simply thought the event scarred her too much for her to think straight about it. Of course, they wouldn’t judge her. If anything, Jack was more likely to judge everyone around her that castigated Ava.

Still, he was happy she was happy. Or at least, not as burdened as she had been before. If she was lucky, she’d manage to leave it all behind. And if they were all lucky, she’d stop being as prickly. Gods know Moran could use it. She’d constantly been by his side the last few days. Jack felt for all the jokes the young man probably had to endure.

Still, the night wasn’t over. Ava’s had her turn. And now Brom followed in her stead.

“I believe it is time I tell you my tale as well. Of how I set out into the world. And why I did that. It’s time I tell you why I carry the name of |Oathbreaker|.”

The dwarf took a deep breath, exhaled and started telling his story.